May 10, 2011 - Brown Family News

{This post was originally in The Brown Perspectives and transferred here for archiving}

This email contains information about our upcoming family reunions as well as a new family history book for the Brown family--please take a moment to read this.  You are one of over one hundred people in my address book who I consider to be related to (or familiar with) the Elihi "Lyhue" & Elizabeth "Betsy" (Hall) Brown family.  Lyhue and Betsy were very young when they settled in south central Missouri around 1837 right after their marriage.  They were to rear four children (George W., Sarah A., Jesse G. and Isaac) at their cabin near the banks of Bryant Creek in current day Douglas County MO.  KEEP READING...

Until this year, my address book contained only descendants of one Lyhue-Betsy child, Jesse G. Brown, my Great-Grandfather.  Today, this email is also going to several descendants of Jesse G.'s younger brother, Isaac.  Isaac took his family to Oklahoma Indian Territory before 1890 and raised his family there.  Thanks to all the work of our official Brown genealogist, Laura Lee Moncrief, my address book now contains several of Isaac's descendants.  Many of you know Laura, descendant of Jesse G.'s daughter, Frankie (Brown) Squire, as did your parents.  She's not that old but in the 1980s, she researched and wrote a book on behalf of Jesse G. Brown, his wives, Mary Burton and Mary Beers, and their daughter and son-in-law, Frankie (Brown) and John Squire--hence the title SQUIRE-BROWN-BURTON.  KEEP READING...

With the prior paragraphs as a background, finally here is the news:

1. Upcoming DAVIS-BROWN Reunion--This year's reunion will be held on Sunday, JUNE 5, 2011, in Ava, MO about 15 miles west of where Jesse G. and Isaac Brown were born on Bryant Creek in the 1840s.  Everyone is welcome--if you think you can attend, please write back or call me at (417) 350-0472 for more details.  To my knowledge, this year will be the first time that any of Isaac's descendants will be in attendance.  Special guest--Laura Lee Moncrief will be coming from her home in Colorado with her new family history book for us.  KEEP READING....
2. New SQUIRE-BROWN-BURTON Book (See cover attached)--In 1985, Laura published her first edition of her family history book.  Until now, it was the keepsake that a few of us were able to obtain, cherish and covet.  Well, she has continued her research, and she has just gone to print with a 2011 edition.  It is now a 220-page hard-back book that will sell for $30 as I understand.  She will have copies with her at the reunion, and I'm going to maintain an inventory to help see that anyone else who wants one is able to get one.  
3. Proposed OKLAHOMA reunion in October--This year it is going to happen if it's the last thing I do--have a Brown family reunion in the Tulsa-Bartlesville-Nowata area.  First I'll be asking for volunteers to help organize it, and some of you may get phone calls indicating that "you volunteered."  The demographics of the Brown family has been centered in Oklahoma for many years, and it's time we get something permanent going over there.
4. Family PHOTO ARCHIVING AND SHARING--While there are probably over 150 photos not yet process, labeled and ready for uploading, I do have over 5,000 photos uploaded and can be viewed athttp://ozarkuncle.photoshop.com.  Now some of this number relate to my mother's Hartley-Gunnels family--but the Brown-Davis collection just keeps growing.  All the photos are organized into different family albums.  I'm behind on providing descriptions of each album but will try to get that done so you can better understand the family groupings.
5. Handout for the 2011 DAVIS-BROWN reunion--unless I weird out on you all, my plans are to bring a photo essay hand-out honoring James Lihu Brown's daughter, Aunt Lulu (Brown) Shrum.  In addition, Cinita Brown, Laura Moncrief and I will probably talk quite a bit about Rev. Isaac Brown and his family.

Here is how to get hold of me: Ken Brown, 4108 E. Eastmoor St., Springfield, MO 65809--

Cell Phone--417-350-0472 or by email at ozarkuncle@gmail.com.